Thriller In Shanghai

The Chinese Grand Prix proved to be another thriller, with wheel to wheel racing, right up to the final lap. Formula 1′s stop in Shanghai, wraps up the first Asia leg of the 2012 season, as the teams head to Bahrain this week

2012 is already shaping up to be a fantastic and extremely unpredictable season. I had no idea what to expect, going into today’s race and it really was anybody’s game. Mercedes had a fantastic qualifying session on Saturday, with Nico Rosberg finally getting his first pole. Michael Schumacher qualified a respectable 3rd, but started on the front row in 2nd, after Lewis Hamilton received a 5 grid spot penalty, for a gear box change.

Rosberg got off to a great start and was helped by Schumacher, in keeping the rest of the pack behind, while building the gap. It was teamwork in its purest form and Rosberg’s resulting early lead, was maintained across the finish, where he secured his first career win. It was also the first win for Mercedes, as a constructor since 1955, with Juan Manuel Fangio behind the wheel. I expected to see the Silver Arrows eating through the tires, but Rosberg did a great job maintaining his tire degradation, throughout the race.

Mercedes’s day wasn’t all smiles though. Michael Schumacher had to retire early after the W03′s right, front wheel nut wasn’t screwed down. Mercedes weren’t the only team to suffer from pit stop errors. The boys from McLaren showed up, for a Malaysian Grand Prix encore, and botched Jenson Button’s chances for a win.

Lewis Hamilton started the weekend strong for McLaren and despite his 5 grid spot penalty, seemed in relatively good spirits, qualifying 2nd. His teammate Jenson Button got off to a great start from 6th and moved up 3 spots, entering turn 1. Despite consistently closing the gap on Rosberg, Button’s hopes for a win were decided by yet another, McLaren botched pit stop. A faulty wheel gun stranded Button an extra 6 seconds, ruining his chances for catching Rosberg. He ultimately finished 2nd, with Hamilton 3rd, after some fantastic wheel to wheel racing with Sebastian Vettel.

How is character judged? It’s judged not by how an individual handles victory, but how they handle defeat.

The season is still anybody’s game and I’m not saying for a second, that Sebastian Vettel is out of the running. There are still 17 races between now and November and anything can happen. It is however, painfully obvious, that whether it be the car or the driver, something is not going right for Vettel. After an outburst, following the Malaysian Grand Prix, and news of both Red Bull drivers using different exhaust setups in Shanghai, Vettel is beginning to look desperate. During today’s race, he was not only overtaken by Lewis Hamilton, in the second to last lap, but his teammate Mark Webber.

All the while Vettel has been struggling, Webber has been quietly out of the spotlight, giving solid performances. He’s outdriven his World Champion teammate, in every Grand Prix of the season and has undoubtably given himself, more of a voice within the team. It’s always bothered me how the media, even his own team, have brushed Webber off to the side. Yes, he’s one of the veteran drivers on the grid, but he’s consistent and always keeps his team in the points. Had it not been for some horrific starts last season, we may have seen a more even matchup at Red Bull. He’s also a driver who doesn’t loose his cool and takes advantage of opportunities. In many ways, he reminds me of Jenson Button, maybe that’s why the two are good friends off the track?

Sauber looked good in the first half of the race, then lost their holding and finished 10th and 11th overall. Sergio Perez had some brilliant laps, fending off Lewis Hamilton and a set of tires, well past their expiration. Fernando Alonso finished 9th, after another difficult drive in the F2012, a car that’s quietly plotting to kill its driver. The incredibly twitchy Ferrari, forced Alonso to fight the car, the entire race. It’s a credit to Alonso, as he’s the best man for the job. On the other hand, his teammate Felipe Massa struggled, again. Massa’s pacing isn’t remotely close to the upper half of the pack, much to the dismay of his team. I’ll be surprised if something drastic doesn’t happen at Ferrari this season.

Two of the biggest surprises at Shanghai were Kimi Raikkonen and Williams. Raikkonen did well in qualifying and put the Lotus in 5th, starting 4th. After a brilliant drag race down the pit lane with Lewis Hamilton, Rakkonen fell back and finished a disappointing 14th, after being walloped by a quarter of the grid, in 2 laps. The other big surprise of the day was Williams who went from bringing up the rear in 2011, to a serious mid-field contender in 2012. Both Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldando had excellent drives, finishing 7th and 8th, ahead of Ferrari. Williams and Sauber are definitely mixing things up for the rest of the grid, this season.

Next week will quite possibly be the most controversial race of the season. The teams head to Bahrain, a kingdom which has been under both political and social turmoil, for more than a year. It’s going to be very interested to see how the next week unfolds.

Photos courtesy of F1 Fanatic.

Shanghai

Yes, in case you forgot, there is a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Shanghai this weekend. With all the talk of Bahrain, the Chinese Grand Prix has taken a back seat in the media. Rightfully so, I think the level of political unrest in the Kingdom, is too high for a race and the FIA should cancel it. The Al Khalifa family would rather see otherwise, as the Grand Prix is an opportunity for them to show the rest of the World that Bahrain is indeed, on the mend. In reality, the conflict is far from “resolved” and you can expect all the teams and their drivers to be provided with the finest security protection during their stay. But what message is that sending to the rest of the World?

Anyway, all of this is best saved for another post. Let’s talk about the Chinese Grand Prix.

A microscopic Lewis Hamilton and former NBA All-Star, Yao Ming.

This weekend’s Grand Prix is going to be very interesting and should begin to tell us a few things. Firstly, where is Red Bull at? Mark Webber has had a couple of decent drives in Melbourne and Sepang, but his teammate Sebastian Vettel has struggled, both in qualifying and racing. Vettel had some choice words, following the Malaysian GP, about Formula 1′s resident punching bag, Narain Karthikevan and it’s clear he’s frustrated. There’s no doubt he’s feeling the pressure coming off a double World Championship.

This weekend is also going to tell us where McLaren is headed this season. Have they really built the best car on the grid? Is Jenson Button the favorite to win another Driver’s Championship and what does his teammate have to say about it? For the most part, Button and Hamilton have been very friendly as teammates. Will more success for both drivers create a rift? This may be Hamilton’s final season with McLaren and he’s going into this race as it’s defending champion. He’s been excellent in qualifying, but unable to race well.

Ferrari are also coming off a win in Malaysia. Fernando Alonso was indeed assisted by the unpredictable weather, but no one is refuting that he had one hell of a drive, in quite possibly the worst and definitely the ugliest car this season. Felipe Massa is still on thin ice. After being given a brand new chassis for Malaysia, he was still unable to perform. His race engineer Rob Smedley appears to have had it as well.

Then there’s the rest of the grid. How will Sauber come off a fantastic showing at Malaysia? Is Sergio Perez prepared to do it again? Mercedes has also had a chance to work out their W03 which has done well in qualifying and ferociously eaten its tires on race day. Lotus, who isn’t actually Lotus, but Renault, has been good so far. Kimi Raikkonen silenced any predictions, that his absence made him rusty. It’s only a matter of time before we see him and the team, back on the podium.

There’s a lot to look forward to this weekend. Practice is less than 2 days away.

Photo courtesy of Lewis Hamilton.